The Magicians Illness
by OceanHuntress
Summary: The war against Apophis is over, but now there is a new threat to the Kane children. What happens when a revenge plot against the elder Kane leads to a reace against the clock to save his life. Will carter survive or will Apophis take one more life from the Kane family.
1. chapter 1

i'm new and plan on writing a lot of carter kane centered stories...my friends say im a good writer but im not as sure. i would love to get creative critisim back.

diclaimer: i don't own the characters all rights go to Rick Riordan

The Start

Carter had returned from a run in the late morning and was at his wits end. He didn't understand where his sudden headache came from, but he could not take much more of the torture. Carter could feel the rapid increase in pain with each passing second, but he refused to tell Sadie about how horrible he felt. Sadie on the other hand was oblivious to the painful annoyance she was causing her brother. What annoyance? Well she would not cease her insitent tapping of her pencil while she did her homework at the counter in the 21st nomes kitchen. It wasn't her fault though, carter knew this, she just didn't know just how loud each tap sounded to carter as his mind slowly felt as if it was being stabbed every time the pencil made contact.

Bast had taken the other initiates to visit Amos and the 1st nome so they could try new methods of training for the next two weeks, leaving only Carter and Sadie home alone. Carter was glad it was only him and his sister, he was hoping that they could actually spend time as a family together, but by now the lights and noises the house had or produced were killing carters eyes as well as his head. Sadie however, remained clueless to the pain carter was in so she continued ro work on her homework and tapbaway on the counter in focus to the worksheets in front if her.

Finally, carter couldn't take it anymore, the Tylenol wasn't doing hima any favors and he was feeling worse by the minute; and thats when carter stood up abrubtly knocking the chair he was sitting in over. The noise caught sadie off gaurd and got her attention. When she turned, she was shocked to find carter on the floor clutching his head as if his life depended on it, sweating and on what looked like the verge of passing out.

"Carter! Are you ok?" sadie yelled rushing over to her brother

When carter didn't respond right away sadie became even more worried.

"Carter!" sadie yelled again

"aghh!!!" carter grunted in pain "shhh! it hurts... please make it stop!"

"Make what stop carter...what hurts?" sadie whispered as gently as she could noticing how carter flinched slightly as she spoke.

" The noise, lights...everything...my head." replied carter burying his head in his lap while covering his ears in an attempt to blick out all the lights and sounds causing his headache to worsen drastically.

" I'm sorry carter, i can't" sadie whispered. She didn't know what to do, Carter had been in pain before, that she knew but most of the time he would try to play it off as nothing or try to hide in general. So it surprised and scared her, that here was her older brother on his knees in pain begging her to make it stop.

Carter continued to curl in on himself. He didn't understand, he had felt fine just an hour ago before the headache started, but it seemed that it went from a small headache and increased a tenfold in such a short amount of time. All he was currently aware of was how excruciatingly painful it felt to even move his head at all, even with his eyes closed and ears covered.

Sadie had decided that the only option that might help and her best bet wwas to go to the one person who would know how to help carter the most ( as ironic as it was now). That person...their father Julius Kane and the new host to the god of the egyptian underworld Osiris. Saie realized that her bother was getting worse and worse, so she quickly created a portal into the duat, the closest she could get to their dad and ran back to carter in hopes of getting them through it before it closed.

"come on carter, were going to makecthis better, but you havecto help me out a bit ok?" she stated quietly.

Carter didn't respond but he did try to help out, at least thats what sadie liked to think. It took them a minute to get carter on his feet all while he was tryig to supress what sadie figured were whimpers of pain. Sadie quickly and carefully got carter to the portal and they walked through it. They were lucky enough to land in some type of courtyard, but sadly portal travel just increased carters agony and to sadie's fear it ripped a loud anguished cry from her brother that she was sure had been heard all over the duat. Carter collapsed in pain to the ground, roughly taking sadie down with him under his mostly dead weight. Sadie felt bad, but she had no choice to yell for their parents. Sadie didn't care if anyone else heard as long as she could get their help.

"MOM, DAD!!!" sadie yelled as loud as she could as quick as she could because she was quite aware of the sobs carter let out in an attempt not to scream again, though they only seemed to cause him more pain.

"Sadie?" called her parents running out from wherever they had been when they heard their youngest yell bloody murder.

"shhhhh..." sadie hushed them quickly looking down at carter. Her parents followed her gaze, not expecting to see carter be the one in pain.

Julius/Osiris and his wife Ruby ran at the sight of their son in agony.

"What happened?" their mother asked worriedly

" I don't know, one minute he was sitting at the table fine while i did my homework and then the next thing i know he knocked his chair over." sadie informed them

"Then what?" insisted Julius carefully gripping carter by his shoulders, while carter was laying on the ground.

"He was holding his head, and every loud thing and lights seem to make him feel worse." finished sadie obviously worried.

" Ok, lets get you kids inside and figure out what's wrong." stated Julius doing his best to keep calm no matter how unnerving it was to see his son in his current state.

"ok..umm... i know carters going to hate this, but he can't quite walk or move his head without causing himself pain sooo...?" sadie stated questioningly. Without answering directly Julius carefully put his arms under carters arms and knees and then lifted carter up. The sudden movement, even as gently as it was, caused carter to whimper and grab weakly at his head.

"Sorry buddy, but we need to help you carter...it'll be ok" Julius whispered softly as if he were talking to a much younger child than carter. Carter was barely able to mumble what sounded like an "it's ok" before flinching again.

When they got into the Hall of Judgement, they continued until they were in the replica of their old home back in L.A. Sadie sat on the ground, so carter could rest his head on her lap while her father somehow summoned a bed to properly place carter on. Once Julius had the covers pulled down enough he went over to his family, taking a minute to take in all that was going on; his daughter was gently stroking carters hair, while his wife, who was very clearly upset at the fact that she couldn't comfort their oldest child, sat off to the side calmly reassuring their daughter that it would all be ok. Lastly, Carter...Julius couldn't help but feel horrible seeing his son in such pain. Julius knew that had it not been for carter collapsing in front of sadie, carter would have tried to power through it instead of seeking help. It was with that final though that Julius walked over and knelt down by his family.

"Okay, lets move him one more time, then figure this out." stated julius quietly,but seriously.

"Okay." replied sadie ready to help her brother. She couldn't help but feel bad for carter; even though they didn't share alot of these touchy feely moments, sadie couldn't help but wish they had more.

They lifted carter up once more and placed him on the bed and then covered him up. That's when they all noticed that for the first time since arriving that carter hadn't flinchedor whimpered.

"Carter?" Called sadie tentatively

There was no reaction or movement, in fact carter had stopped clutching his head all together and that's when they came to the same conclusion. Carter had passed out and it was obvious that what ever was effecting carter was bad because he had more and likely passed put from the pain he was in.

" Don't worry just yet, lets just start with the basics...ok sweetie?" Ruby said calmly to sadie who was worried about her brother.

"ok." said sadie shakily

"Alright...first things first, has carter eaten anything that may have made him ill?" asked Julius.

"No. He only ate some oatmeal and orange jucie for breakfast and i think he only ate an apple around lunch." Sadie recalled from that mrning.

"Okay...was there anything out of the ordinary that happened today more so than any other day?" Julius inquired trying to cover all basis that involved his children.

"No...well except that carter went for a run this morning, but apparently he does that all the time, I'm just usually at school." claimed sadie. Sadie then looked over to Carter for what had probably been the millionth time since they set him down,when she noticed something odd.

"umm...dad? Carters sweating up a storm, but it's not even hot here." sadie pointed out never taking her eyes off her brother.

"Wha..oh! ok, hold on." Julius said managing to summon a thermometer and placing it in carters mouth carefully.

"103.4" Julius stated grimly once the thermometer went off.

" Is that bad? What do we do?" asked sadie.

" yes its bad we need to cool him down before it gets any higher." Ruby interrupted

"let's get him cooled off...ok, sadie im going to need your help ok? We need to strip carter down and sourround him with lots of ice packs." explained Julius to his daughter.

"Alright" replied sadie

As sadie began to unbutton carters shirt she couldn't help but notice how thin carter was. Yes he was more muscular now than he was a year ago, but thats all he seemed to be with no noticeable weight. It was in a way that made him seem even more sick than they knew.

While sadie managed to het carters shirts off, Julius had managed to get carter into only his boxers and was currently covering carter in only a sheet before going to retrieve the ice.

"He'll be ok, won't he?" asked sadie concerned as her brother began to shiver even though he was sweating his own version of the Nile River.

" He'll be fine, don't worry..carters a tough boy he'll be better in no time." replied her mother calmly even though she too was very worried about her sons condition.

Here! Sadie put these under carters armpits, neck, and along his sides;I'll get his knees and feet." ordered Julius returning with at least 8-10 ice packs.

"Okay." rplied sadie taking two of the ice packs from her father.

A few minutes later carter was covered with ice packs and shivering like no tomorrow.

"What now?" asked sadie

"For now nothing, we have to wait and see if his fever breaks." sighed Julius "This is odd even for carter" he mumbled under his breath

"What was that dear?" asked Ruby clearly hearing what her husband mumbled

Julius took a deep breath before he replied, sitting on the end of the bed, being sure not to jostle carter.

" I said that this is odd even for carter."

" What's that supposed to mean?" questioned sadie

" It means that while carter, like any child got sick from time to time, he's never been one to get this bad. It would usually be just a 24-hour bug or a small cold, but nothing more. I've never seen him like this and thats what really worries me." Julius stated while glancing between his wife and children.

" oh...So what could be causing this. I mean if it's not anything mental or physical?" sadie inquired, even more worried for her brother now.

her parents looked at each other as if having a mental conversation and replied in unison " Then it must be something vreated from magic."

They all looked at carter and began to wonder what or even whi would have caused him to become this ill, but there was one thing that was for sure, if anyBODY had caused this they were going to pay. No One messed with a Kane.


	2. Chapter 2: I see my fate

The Magicians illness

Chapter 2: I see my fate

A/N I have made Carter just slightly oc because of thoughts I had while watching some of my favorite shows even though I know that he doesn't have the ability (at least canonly…we don't know because it's never brought up as a subject in the books.) There's also another "surprise" in this story. Feel free to let me know how you feel about them.

Carter POV (sort of)

Carter was dreaming, at least he thought he was. The last thing he remembered was his dad picking him up before blacking out. The next thing he knew it was hot and he could feel his Ba being pulled from his body. _"Really…good going carter pass out then leave your body, what a great idea!"._ Carter could see himself on the floor with his head in Sadie's lap, while she stroked his hair and his mother sat there talking to Sadie. Suddenly, he was floating upwards and out of the Duat. Carter was used to the weightless feeling by now, but he was still terrified of what he was about to see. " _Is Apophis coming back? No, that's stupid we just beat him…but what if we didn't?"_. While carter was lost in all the different scenarios' that might play out and none of them good, he completely ignored the change of scenery. Once carter managed to shake all bad thoughts from his head he found himself in a small town along the coast. He was suddenly pulled into a diner.

The diner was rather tiny on the inside and there were almost no people inside. There were, from what he could see, only four people inside. There was a waitress at the register looking bored out of her mind, a cook in the kitchen, and what appeared to be two men in a booth towards the back of the restaurant. They looked like they might be in their late 30's and they were trying to go unnoticed by anyone. That immediately put carter on edge, what were they doing in a small diner that they looked completely out of place in? That wasn't the weirdest thing though, what was weird was the fact that the waitress and cook didn't seem to even know they were there like…magic. Carter floated closer against his will until he could hear them clearly. As carter listened in he caught on to their conversation and he really did not like what he was hearing.

Creeps POV (sort of)

"so...you're positive this will work?" asked creep number one

"yes sir, they won't even now he's dying until it's too late." Replied the second creep

"Good… the boss will be glad to know that within the week he will have been the one to destroy the Kane boy!" exclaimed creep one proudly

"Yes, sir I'm sure he will be. Now, about my payment?" inquired number two

"Of course, here this should be more than enough." Said number one pulling out a yellow envelope and sliding it across the table to number two.

"Thank you sir" answered creep two

"You're welcome. Now it's time I need to get going, we have many more plans to carry out by the time the boy dies." Replied the first creep.

Carters POV

Carter was suspicious of number one, but he was more scared of the fact that he was supposedly dying and he had no way of telling his family what was wrong with him. He watched as creep number two shook hand with number one before turning around to leave. Even though carter had never been in a relatable situation before, he knew that turning your back on your creepy employer was a stupid idea. He watched as creep two made that very mistake and as number one in the same minute pulled a switchblade before stabbing number two in the back literally. Carter watched as number two turned to dust with a look of shock on his face and the chef and waitress notice nothing. Number one picked up the envelope, put his switchblade away, and paid his bill before leaving. Carters Ba sat or hovered there for a moment before it began getting pulled back to his body. As carter came back into the Duat he made a startling discovery…he or at least his Ba couldn't re-enter his body! It was stuck outside of… himself! Carter had a moment of panic before calming down and taking in all of his surroundings. He could see that his family had stripped him down and covered him with ice packs which he figured meant that he had a dangerously high fever, even though he couldn't feel it or anything for that matter. He was able to see his sister sitting on the bed next to their dad and how they were all talking.

"Don't worry Sadie, he'll be okay," Julius reassuringly claimed.

"I hope so… it's been hours. I'm scared." Sadie admitted anxiously.

"Well, until we can figure out what's going on, why don't we do something to take your mind off it for a bit?" asked Julius.

"Like what?" inquired Sadie

"Well, not to make things sad, but seeing as I never got to see you as much as I wish I could've…why not catch up? Sort of Like in a game of 20 questions kind of way?" answered Julius

"ok," said Sadie

Carter sat down next to them and just listened. He knew no one could see or hear him, not even his father, but he still wanted to spend what he figured would be his last days with his family. Whether he was seen or not. After a few minutes and questions asked later, Carter was surprised to hear Sadie's 8th question. (yes he'd been counting, it's not like he had much he could do.)

"How did cater feel about traveling everywhere? He never really brings it up." Sadie asked

"Honestly, I think he hated it. Especially when we had to leave you…he'd be quiet for days. I think he got tired of the constant moving around, even though we really had no choice." Answered Julius somberly

"Really? I always thought he liked getting to see different places, making new friends, and all that stuff? When we have to do research or something and he brings up a trip you guys took as reference or something, it always sounded like he enjoyed whatever happened," replied Sadie

"Not really, actually he rarely enjoyed any trip we made. He'd stay inside the hotel most of the time until he could help out at dig sites, and aside from that there were very few children around and even then there were usually many differences between them and carter so he never really made friends. Other than that, there were dangers to our traveling." Explained Julius

"Like what…kind of dangers" asked Sadie

"Well, from what I remember mostly there were riots in some places, large amounts of crime in others at some point, natural disasters, and there was one time when our plane actually crashed." Stated Julius listing the dangers off on his fingers.

"WHAT!" screamed both Sadie and their mother.

"Yes… our plane actually crashed at one point. We were flying from California to Italy. We were going from one museum to another on ancient art, when the planes 1st, 2nd, and 4th engines went out. I tried to keep the plane up and that's why we didn't plummet to the ground right away, but I couldn't keep us up completely. We crashed somewhere near the France/Italy border in a semi-deserted field. It was pretty bad, but luckily no body died, just really beaten and bruised." Explained Julius

"What about Carter…how was he during all of this?" asked Sadie

"Well, he was asleep when it first started. He woke up when the fourth engine went out. Oddly, he seemed calm. I on the other hand was so worried out of my mind. It was so hectic as we lost altitude no one, not even me, thought to put on the oxygen mask when it dropped. Carter on the other hand seemed calm, and he put on his own mask. He seemed like he was being told what to do rather than doing it all by himself. The next thing I knew he looked at me, well past me, barely nodded, and then got into impact position. A few seconds later most passengers were in impact position like the attendants were finally shouting and we hit the ground hard. We hit the ground so hard that the plane spun itself and a wing was ripped off!" Julius exclaimed as he finished telling the story, "To this day I still don't know what or how, but Carter saw something I couldn't, and whatever it was it led him through that crash better than anyone on that plane could've. I really wish I knew what he saw that day because what he did, it was way to calm, collected, and precise to have been a practiced routine to have been done in such a short amount of time, especially since he had been asleep minutes' prior. I swear that crash was all too real even though it felt like it belonged as a scene in a movie." Julius finished

"Hey dad, what do you think Carter might have seen… if anything at all?" inquired Sadie interested by the way her brother had acted in such a terrifying moment.

"Like I said I don't know, but I do know that there was or is something that he, to this day, has refused to tell anyone." replied Julius.

"Maybe…maybe he'll tell us one day? Unless he just doesn't remember what he saw at all." Stated Sadie now curious to find out what her brother had seen the day his plane crashed.

"Maybe?" said Julius slightly lost in the memory of that day.

Carter sat there listening the whole time. He had no idea his father had noticed the way he nodded or the fact that he wasn't even looking at his father, and act as if he was following instructions. The truth was the day the plane crashed, he'd been sleeping when his grandfather woke him up. Not his mother's father, but his dads father, even though he had died three years before Carter had been born. That's right Carter Kane could see and communicate with the dead if he wanted too. He saw them everywhere, all the time, so seeing his grandfather there had been no surprise. He had grown used to seeing people, especially relatives of his that had passed on, so he knew that it was ok that his grandpa had been there keeping him calm and telling him exactly what he had to do. Sadly, though Carter never told a soul (no pun intended) about his ability because he didn't want to be seen as crazy. Yes, his family dealt with and hosted Egyptian gods, but if Carter could see things that a god, even a god of death or the underworld couldn't see, then he really didn't need people thinking that he'd lost his mind. Carter decided he had had a long day, so he laid down next to his physical body, when he suddenly didn't feel too good. He was really hot and freezing cold at the same time and he felt as if his head was about to explode any minute. When the pain reached what was most likely its peak and Carter screamed, the torches along the wall went out as if there had been a gust of wind that blew through, even though that was impossible seeing as they were down in the duat and inside of a building. As Carter relaxed he watched as his family stood up and looked over him, checking and trying to find out if there was something wrong.

"What was that?! Asked a frantic Sadie

"I don't know, but I think Carters magic is lashing out in response to his extreme amounts of pain." Answered Ruby distressed that her son was in pain and couldn't tell them what was wrong.

"Why?" asked Sadie concern for her brother showing on her face as she stroked his hair in a soothing manner.

"Because he can't express his pain by screaming or alerting someone and his brain knows this, because its function of controlling the vocal chords must not be all there. His mind has linked up with his magic…kind of like the brain connects all your nerves. That way when his brain is sent multiple pain signals to such extremes, Carters magic will lash out to try and relieve the extra pain…In a way he's trying to get someone's attention." Responded Julius.

"oh…," Sadie sighed

As their mom sat next to Carter, he tried to hug her as reassurance…only to touch nothing. His mother didn't even notice. Sadie sat down on the other side of him and softly began to stoke his hair. His father sat next to his mother and that's when Carter suddenly felt as if he could join his body once again. So he did, it was not a fun process though because he knew as he entered his body that all he would feel would be pain. He did it anyway, just so he could try and  
"say" what he felt would be goodbye, because he had no way of warning his family of his impending demise, when he didn't even know what was killing him. So with that, Carter's Ba went back into his physical body, only to be welcomed with an assaulting heat and coldness like never before along with the excruciating pain he could feel very clearly in his head. Carter then fell into a dreamless, no longer Ba floating, sleep surrounded by his family. His last somewhat coherent thought before the pain and sleep overtook him was how he was going to fight, not for himself; the thought of death did not scare him because he knew what awaited him on the other side whether it be being a spirit no one sees' or life with his parents in the Duat, but for his sister. After all she was all he really had left.

A/N: Hi everyone! So, I hope you enjoyed what I've written so far. Feel free to leave reviews and your constructive critism. Also, I was hoping you all would let me know what you thought about carters' "ability" …. I tend to write late at night while watching T.V so I thought it seemed pretty cool at the time. I plan to post every Saturday or so, but right now my family is planning on moving so we're looking at houses and packing so sorry if I don't post every weekend, I'll do my best.

P.S please let me know if I should write separate fanfics about carter with the ability to see the dead. I have many prompt ideas and I have a few that involve this ability, but writing and posting them is something I wondered if any of you might want to see in the future. THANK YOU FOR READING!

Bye,

Oceanhuntress


	3. Chapter 3: Fighting

A/N: Hi everyone. I just want to apologize for how short this is. I was falling asleep while writing and I had no ways of continuing it coming to me so I left it the way it was. I hope you enjoy. Also as a small side note the week it takes for what's causing Carters' illness to kill him is a full 7-day week, for anyone wondering how long it will take.

Fighting

Sadie had been by her brothers' side for almost 3 whole days now. Carters' magic kept lashing out at random times, but her and her parents soon found out that, the way Carters' magic was lashing out, could have been much worse. Ruby had explained that Carter may be somehow holding power in and holding it back. Even though, it confused Sadie, it gave her hope…hope that her brother was fighting.

Carter unknown to them, kept having small moments when his Ba would leave his body and just stay within the Duat. It was a longer stay each time, proving to Carter that he was in fact slowly getting closer to death (not that the excruciating pain didn't do that enough already.). He just did all he could, which was not much, to keep his power from causing harm to his family around him. He felt bad seeing and hearing his sister try to help him, but he could do nothing. He wished badly to let his sister know how much he appreciated it, even if he only had four more days at least. He didn't fear dying, but he also didn't want to leave his sister. The only problem was the fact that fighting for those four days was getting harder and harder by the hour.

Another A/N: Thank you for reading. Feel free to leave reviews. Also I want to post a small one shot about Carter while I work on continuing The Magicians Illness, so let me know if you think I should post it before the next chapter. Once again thank you, I really appreciate you for leaving feedback it helps a lot.


	4. Chapter 4: Sparks to a clue

It was day four and Sadie was beginning to fear for her brother, more than she had the days prior. He hadn't moved in four days, not even a twitch and it really scared her, even if she wouldn't admit it out loud. Sadie was looking after her brother while their parents judged the souls of the dead. After a few hours, she fell asleep at Carters' bedside.

Sadie woke up, but she wasn't sure why. She could have sworn that someone flashed a light in front of her eyes, but there was only Carter there. That's when she saw it, just barely, a glow that seemed to branch out in an odd way from Carter before it faded away. Sadie was startled by this development and so she decided that it would be best to go get their parents. She had made it to the double doors on the other side of the rather large room before running into someone, who just happened to be their father.

"Sadie…what's wrong?" asked Julius noticing the nervous look on his daughters' face.

"I…light…gone…sleep," replied Sadie stuttering out of breath from the abrupt stop and nerves.

"Sadie…what is it? Calm down, ok?... what's wrong?" asked Julius again, confused as to why his daughter was unable to form a coherent sentence, aside from being breathless for a few seconds.

"Carter," said Sadie lightly, knowing that that was all she needed to say at the moment to get the point out.

They all quickly rushed back to Carters' side, but when they saw nothing they relaxed only ever so slightly. Sadie on the other hand was really worried because she knows what she saw, but was nervous at the fact that there was no trace of what she saw happening at the moment.

"Sadie, there's nothing here," stated Ruby "Why were you so panicked and in a rush?" she asked her daughter clearly not seeing anything wrong.

"Because, I saw something… it came from Carter," Sadie answered pacing around the room now that her heart was racing and she was somehow full of adrenaline.

"Well, what is it you saw?" asked Julius "It may have just been Carters' magic lashing out again."

"It was… well it was different… It was like his magic was branching out…LITTERALLY!" Sadie told them, still not sure what she saw herself.

"What do you mean sweetheart?" inquired their mother further

"I was sleeping… and I thought… well I thought someone flashed a light in my face, kind of like when you get your picture taken, but when I opened my eyes it was only Carter and me. When I looked over at Carter, there was this dim glow that was fading, but it was branching out of his body! Then, that's when I went to go get you." Answered Sadie

"Ok. Is that it? Anything else you noticed?" asked their father

"Yeah I just-…" Sadie stopped

"You just what sweetie?" asked Ruby

"Look…" replied Sadie pointing a shaking finger over to her brother

That's when they all noticed it… a small single branch of light emitting from Carter, and it was forming from his forearm. Then the light formed what appeared to be a lazily drawn hieroglyph and faded faster than it appeared, leaving Carters family sitting their shocked.

"What was that?" asked Sadie worried even more for her brothers' health, was it some kind of virus… a magical disease? She was getting even more worried and anxious the longer her parents sat in silence looking at each other like they had just found out the world's biggest secret.

"I…I'll go get Amos," stated Julius before quickly disappearing.

"Why's dad have to go get uncle Amos?" Sadie asked hesitantly to her mother who had been sitting there only staring at Carter.

"Sweetie, you remember how Iskandar could create hieroglyphs from midair? And how only the most powerful magician can do that?" questioned Ruby

"Yeah? I thought I was crazy when I first saw it." Exclaimed Sadie mildly wondering where this conversation was going.

"Well, we, your father and I think that somehow all of Carters' repressed magic is now manifesting into those little lights and glyphs we saw. The only issue is, is that we have no idea how or why. Why now and not earlier this week?" explained their mother.

"So, dad went to go get uncle Amos because he can do that trick with the hieroglyphs now? And he thinks he might be able to help or at least tell us what the glyphs Carter is somehow creating, he can tell us what they mean?" inquired Sadie further, hoping that she just clarified what she thinks her mother meant.

"Exactly, lets' just hope that this ends soon and with a good ending to it too." Sighed Ruby worried for her son, "I don't even want to see him down here like this… so help me if anything happens…I don't care what your father says I WILL drag your brother back to the living, if that's what it takes for him to live the life he has ahead of him!" exclaimed Ruby

"I just hope he wakes up soon." Said Sadie siting down next to her brother

A half hour later, Julius returned with Amos, who looked scared by the information they were sure he was told about Carters' condition. He was immediately at Carter side with a clear look of worry etched on his face just seeing Carter in his current state.

"What do you think caused this?" asked Amos, needing to start from the basics if he was going to be of any help to his nephew

"We don't know, but we do know for a fact that it is something magical, seeing as it is no know illness in todays' medical field." Replied Julius

As Julius finished stating that, they all noticed another small, barely noticeable branch of light that created another sloppy hieroglyph. They all took note that this one had emitted from Carters' head, and Amos was quick to grab a piece of paper and draw the fading image. When the light was fully diminished, they all looked to Amos waiting for him to tell them what the hieroglyph was; only to see him looking even more upset and actually terrified than the few minutes earlier.

"What? What was the glyph Amos?" asked a rather anxious Julius, seeing his brother face caused him a great deal of fear. Not because he had never seen that look before, but because that look was directed to his son.

"That glyph…the one he just made well…. it's not a good one Julius. Even with how sloppy it was I was able to kind of tell what it was and it is not what I was hoping to see." Replied Amos cryptically. His voice was shaking slightly, but he was proud of his nephew and himself for understanding the hieroglyph and for his nephew for being able to get a one-word message across, even if it wasn't a good one.

"What? … what's wrong…why is it bad?... AMOS!" shouted Julius trying to get his brother to respond out of his deep thought.

"The hieroglyph was a message…sort of… it was one word and I think it means what's going to happen if we don't help him and soon. I could be wrong, but this is Carter were talking about, if he's fighting then he's doing his best and this message is no exception. I think he's been trying to tell you what's wrong...to an extent, but he's getting weak and worse obviously…" Amos lead off

"What's wrong Amos? What's the message?" asked Julius

"the message…his glyph… it means…it means death Julius. I think whatever's wrong is killing Carter" stated Amos gravely with a quiet and shaking voice

"What? But…" trailed off Sadie as she processed what her uncle had just said. Sadie was now beyond terrified at the thought of her brother dying.

"Look, all we can do right now is hope that he can manage to create another hieroglyph, while we wait for that to happen we can look up any known illnesses, curses, and cures that we can find that may be what is causing this problem and a cure that may solve it before…well before time runs out ok?" stated Amos " Also as a way that might help, I think we should consider trying to get the gods to help and possibly look into Carters' memories to see if we can find where this illness started."

"Ok. I'll go and find Thoth, he may know how to get into Carters' memories and let us see them. While I'm at it I'm also going to get Horus and Isis as well, they would want to know what is going on right now, especially with Carter being Horus's host" said Julius before abruptly leaving again

"Hold on Carter, we're trying to help, but you have to hold on for us and help us out ok buddy? We'll save you don't worry." Whispered Amos, praying to all of the Egyptian Pantheon to give his nephew the strength to fight for his life, just a little bit longer.

A/N: Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it. Please leave a review and tell me what you thought. Don't worry the next chapter should be carters point of view for most of the story and I will be using certain elements to incorporate carters' ability to see the dead more within the next chapter seeing as the memory will be in carters P.O.V.


	5. Chapter 5: Memories Part One

Carter had been having Ba experiences at the most random times that week. The first time he had another experience, was two days after he got sick and all it was, was him watching his family try to break his almost deadly fever. It had only lasted about 45 minutes before he felt the sensation of being pulled back. The next time was later that same day, he realized then that no matter what he tried he would be leaving his body more than once this week; he continued to watch his sister while she sat there holding his hand trying to help in any way she could. He also knew that if he ever brought it up she would deny it, so he took it upon himself to never tell her what he saw as a Ba.

His powers were also getting harder to hold back when he was in his physical body. He knew that he soon would not be able to hold any of it back as each wave of pain would strike him. He was aware that he only had about four days until he died and he was doing everything in his power to fight and stay with his sister, but he really just wished he could at least say goodbye because he knew his chances of surviving whatever this illness was were way too slim to put all of his hope into.

On the fourth day, Carter had an idea. He thought about his overall situation and focused on one thought. He was rewarded when Sadie was awoken by his small burst of magic. What caused this? Well…He had thought that maybe if he focused his mind on one thought and let his power loose just a little, then it might create a hieroglyph. He hadn't known if it would work because he was trying something only the most powerful magician could do, but it was all he had left. He had no other ideas and if it didn't work then either way he was going to die. He was also unsure of how well it might work given that he could only attempt it as a Ba, but he was slightly more hopeful when he saw that he had managed to actually create a glyph and as he watched his sister rush out of the room to more and likely go get their parents. He was tired and creating that one tiny glyph took a lot of energy out of him and he knew that the more he tried the less time he would have as a Ba before he would re-enter his body, but that was ok with him. Soon after, he noticed his parents were confused; so focusing again he managed a very dim hieroglyph and drained his energy even more. He was glad when his parents saw it and was curious as to why his father left until he managed to hear his mother explain to Sadie what was happening. He was running out of time as a Ba and was relieved when his father returned with his uncle Amos, Carter felt drained beyond anything, but he held on. Once his uncle finally arrived, Carter knew he was out of time; so he sent out one final "message". It was the only thing that Carter could think that might give a clear answer to the overall question of his health. He could only hope that his uncle would guess what it meant.

After, he got his message across, Carter felt the familiar tug at his Ba to rejoin his physical body and he did, he was too tired to try and ignore the pull. Once again in his physical self, Carter was assaulted by heat and pain. He hurt so much he barely heard what must've been his uncles muffled voice as he lost full consciousness that came with being a Ba, telling him to hold on, to fight, and it was with those final words that carter fell into a dreamless comatose state again.

As Carter began to regain consciousness, he could hear more muffled voices. He had to take a few minutes before he was able to slightly distinguish his family from who he assumed were the gods. Carter could barely make out what they were saying, until he felt himself leave his body once more although they were unaware of him and he had no idea what time or day it was. He figured it wasn't too long given that he was still alive. He listened in and realized that they were talking about his memories for some reason, but h didn't catch all of it because he was focused on relishing in the moment of pain free…everything!

Carter finally heard and saw everything that was going on around him once this moment was over. Horus was pacing the floor in deep thought, Isis talking with his mother and sister, and Thoth speaking in hushed conversation with his father and uncle. Thoth was asking quiet questions about symptoms and thing like that trying to think of what might be causing Carter to be so sick, but by the look on his face of confusion and slight frustration, Carter figured that not even Thoth knew what was wrong. Cater then over hear the idea of searching his memories and he wasn't sure how to feel about that. It turns out that Thoth knew an old memory spell that would allow the person to in a way astral project themselves ass a third party into another's mind, so they could see said persons memories. Carter knowing, he had no say in what was to happen just decided to listen in to the conversation between his family and the ancient god.

"So how will we be able to see his memories?" asked uncle Amos with a look of uncertainty on his face

"Simple really, though my explanation was probably really lengthy so I take it your confused. Either way, all you have to do is Astral project yourself into Carter's mind instead of an open space and then you'll begin your search." Thoth responded as if it were a walk in the park.

"Ok...Wait, what do you mean search? Search for what?" asked Julius slightly frantic at this new objective.

"Yes, you must search for the correct memory. It's not just going to appear waiting for you. The mind is full of memories and thoughts that go with said memories, think of them like doors. Behind each door is a different memory and thought. Find the right door and voilà you've found the correct memory." Elaborated Thoth

"Ok, got it. Is there anything else you can tell us? How do we know when we found the right one if there are supposedly so many?" Asked Amos looking over to see how Carter's condition was doing, not surprised that there hadn't seemed to be a change at all.

"Ah, yes two things actually, I almost forgot which would be very ironic. The memories are like doors, which makes the mind like a hallway. Usually the newer memories are towards the end of the hallway, which itself is the end of Carter's mind in a way. The exit it the present. That make sense?" explained Thoth slowly "Lastly, even though you'll be a third party in Carter's mind, you'll be seeing things the way he does. An example would be if Carter see's colors differently then so will you; so on and so forth. Hope you got all that because I must be off, goodbye and good luck." Answered Thoth slightly cryptically before disappearing off to wherever he went.

"Ok?" said Julius not sure what to make of all the information he was just given

Carter watched as his father and uncle finally walked over to his mother, sister, and Isis; while being joined by Horus who had stopped pacing to hear the news. As his father explained the plan it suddenly hit Carter just what Thoth meant by them seeing thing the way he does. It meant that all the spirits he had seen, no matter what the memory…so would they.

That sent a chill down his Ba where he knew his physical spine would be. He wasn't sure how Thoth could've known that he could see the dead, but it was too late to bring it up seeing as he couldn't talk for one and the fact that he had no clue where Thoth had gone. He could only hope that it didn't change how they looked at him, sanity wise. Suddenly, the chill was back, but it wasn't one of foreboding. This chill was comforting and very familiar. Carter turned to his right and was just barely able to make out the appearance of his grandparents standing off into the corner watching him with smiles on their faces and somehow, Carter knew that even if no words were exchanged this time, they were there to look after him until his family could save him. If they could save him. Carter gave them a small smile in return before looking back to his family. Horus and Isis left, leaving only his parents, sister, and uncle alone with well…him.

Carter watched as they began trying to astral project themselves into his mind. He could suddenly feel an intrusive force pulling his Ba back into his body. Carter let himself be pulled back in and hoped that his family could find out whatever those men did to him and finally free him from the pain; because in the end he'd be free of it anyway, but how was now, and had been in the hands of his family.

A/N: hi everyone sorry this one took longer. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please leave a review and let me know.


	6. Chapter 6: Memories Part Two

A/N: hi everyone! Sorry this chapter took so long, but it was for good reason…I had help fixing and changing many detail to hopefully make the chapter better. Please leave a review and let me know what you think.

After being told the plan on how they were going to see carter's memories, Sadie and Amos closed their eyes and began trying to project themselves into Carters mind. Julius and Ruby stayed behind to look after everyone, seeing as they could not join them because of being "dead"; which prevents them from projecting themselves into their sons' mind, much to their dismay. It took Sadie and Amos a few tries before they felt a strange sensation wash over them. It had felt like they were jumping into a pool. They felt a sudden coolness that shocked them and caused them to get goosebumps, all while feeling a ticklish sensation that would come, if you were surrounded by little bubbles that float to the surface after diving into the water. Then there was nothing. No sound, no feeling…just quiet. It felt similar to that quick calm you feel once you've reached the bottom of the pool and there was nothing to disturb you, but it ended just as quick as it had happened. Suddenly, they found themselves opening their eyes once a minute had passed to look around once more.

They found themselves, not in the same room with Julius and Ruby, but in a large white hallway that seemed to reflect light and warmth. The hall seemed to go on forever and was lined with hundreds of doors, all spaced out evenly along each side. As Sadie looked around she decided to reach out and try to open the door closest to her, but before she could she felt her uncle forcefully and quickly pull her back.

"Sadie, don't! Remember, every door is a memory! Thoth told your father and I that the memory we're here to find would be all the way towards the end of this hall. Why that is, is because apparently the newer the memory the farther down the hall it is. Now, all we know is that we must find this one memory and that it's towards the end, but other than that I'm not sure what else there may be to finding and seeing one's memory or memories…so please don't open any of the doors until we are sure we have found the right one. Ok?" explained Amos slightly stressed and anxious

"Ok, but how will we know which door is the right door once we get down there?" inquired Sadie

"I don't know, but for now let's just get going so we can start looking. I'm sure we'll know it when we find it…somehow." Replied Amos

As Sadie and Amos made their way down the long hall for what felt like an eternity, they kept silent. Sadie was focused on how much she was determined to make sure her brother survived. Amos on the other hand was lost in thought as to why someone or something would possibly have wanted to harm Carter, sure they had finished a war recently, but no one seemed to sense any evil or ill-intent anywhere amongst the Nome's; They continued on and still kept quiet. After a while Sadie made an interesting discovery about the hall.

"Hey, uncle Amos! Come check this out!" called Sadie looking at a section of the hall they were currently walking through.

"What is it Sadie?" questioned Amos trying to see what his niece could.

"Look! Closely. Do you see it, I mean it's not too noticeable, but it's there in the spacing of the doors?" Answered Sadie.

"What exactly do you mean? See what about the spacing?" inquired Amos moving closer to Sadie.

"Just look! The doors they're closer together!" replied Sadie slightly exasperated at the fact that it was taking so long for her uncle to notice.

Amos took a closer look at the wall and finally noticed what Sadie had. The doors were closer together, even if it was only a few inches at least, than they were at the beginning. Strange. Just then a cold breeze blew over the two magicians. It wasn't a freezing cold, just chilly enough to cause the hairs on the back of their necks stand up, causing them to shiver just ever so slightly in the process. Then just as it was when they entered Carter's mind, it quickly went away.

"hey guys!" shouted a familiar voice from behind them that caused them to turn around quickly. Sadie and Amos had whipped around so fast, that they were surprised they didn't get whiplash.

"C-Carter?" asked Sadie tentatively

"Hey sis, how's it going?" answered Carter

"Wha-But how?!" stuttered Sadie as she looked from Carter to Amos and back to Carter, shock written clearly all over her face.

"It's a long story, but I'm here to help I guess. All I know though is that you're in my head…kind of." Replied Carter.

"Well…it is your mind so you can definitely help," interjected Amos "See, Carter to find out how you got sick we need your most recent memory. Once we know how you've fallen ill, then we can find a cure and save you." Explained Amos.

"Oh…Okay. Well let's keep going then, there's many more doors to pass before we get there then." Acknowledged Carter.

As they began walking again Sadie and Amos couldn't help but feel glad that Carter was there to help guide them, but there was something in the back of Amos' mind that told him that something about this whole situation wasn't right, but why would his nephew show up and not be there to help, so against his better judgement Amos ignored the thought and pushed it to the back of his mind; deciding to trust Carter to get himself the help he needed. Little did either of them know Carter had other plans. All while this was going on and it was almost nightfall, Julius and Ruby were stuck on the outside looking after everyone's physical bodies. They had been keeping an eye on everyone to make sure nothing bad happened, but they were becoming more nervous as the hour dragged on, though they were more focused on Carters', who had yet to move or show any signs of life apart from his shallow breathing and his constant fever induced sweating.

During the journey in Carters' mind that continued, Sadie and Amos noticed that the doors gradually seemed to move closer and closer to one another. Suddenly, Carter stopped and turned towards one of the doors that they noticed had a slight glow that was tinged yellowish-green.

"Here… this one, were almost to the end and I'm certain the rest of these doors are just memories of the pain I've been in this week," stated Carter to a confused looking Sadie and a conflicted Amos, "I think." Mumbled Carter as he turned to face down the rest of the hall, the words going unnoticed by Sadie and Amos.

"Ok…well? Let's get going then!" exclaimed Sadie looking at her uncle

"I can't go in there with you, because I'm not in my mind the same way you are. It may be my mind but my control is failing the worse I get. It's Ok though I trust you." Explained Carter

"Don't worry Carter, we'll figure this out." Stated Sadie determined

Amos on the other hand was studying Carter again. There was something odd about all of this and his earlier feeling of suspicion was back, but there was nothing out of the ordinary that he could use to prove something was off. Amos decided to once again ignore the feeling for now and chalked it up to it all being his stress getting to him, with the short time crunch and all. As Sadie looked to her uncle, who took her hand, she turned to look back at Carter before facing the door ready for what was on the other side. Slowly, Amos grasped the doorknob and turned it. As he pulled the door out and open, he and Sadie were blinded by a bright flash of light, as if someone had unexpectedly taken their picture. The next thing they were aware of, they were in a mall and they were trying to clear the spots out of their vision.

The scene, both Sadie and Amos saw before them wasn't the one they had been hoping or expecting to see. Instead of the most recent memory, they were in a memory that they both knew occurred about a year ago. It was the memory of Carter's first real date with Zia.

"I thought we were supposed to see the most recent memory uncle Amos, why are we seeing something that happened almost a year ago?" questioned Sadie confused

"We are supposed to see the newest memory, but this honestly isn't that. I don't know why we're seeing this, I mean there's no way Carter would give us the wrong memory, he clearly needs our help…right?" answered Amos just as confused at Sadie. It was then that he decided to stop ignoring the nagging in his own mind that told him something wasn't right and began to wonder if the Carter they were seeing was really Carter at all. Amos decided to keep his thoughts to himself as to not worry Sadie or make a fool of himself if it was indeed Carter and Carter had just given them a wrong memory by accident, he did mention having trouble doing a lot of things. "Come, let's find our way out of this memory and back to Carter."

As they began looking for an exit of sorts, it soon became clear that there were none. They had to sit through the memory until it finished and gave them a way out, they guessed. They continued to watch the memory, keeping their distance from Carter and Zia so they could avoid causing any unknow issues just in case. They would not admit it, but Sadie and Amos were curious as to what happened on Carter's first date. They watched as Carter and Zia went shopping at a few various stores before heading to the food court. They still didn't approach Carter or Zia and continued to keep a large amount of space between them and the couple. They weren't sure how long they had been in the memory which worried them seeing as they had a tiny time limit left to save real Carter. That was quickly replaced with shock and pride as they watched Zia roll her eyes before leaning over and kissing Carter. Sadie even though worried for her brother was remembering this detail making sure that when they saved her brother, which they would, she would not let him forget this moment especially because he left that detail out when Sadie had asked him how his date went when he came back to the Nome that day.

Finally, after an unknown amount of time had passed even more, the memory finished. Sadie and Amos were presented with another door they figured was their exit ticket. As they walked through the door, they once again had to adjust their eyes to their new surroundings. Sadie was glad to be out of the memory and so was Amos, but now he had his guard up ready to see if his earlier thoughts were true or just stress and fear induced emotions. They finally looked around, only to see more doors and Carter there waiting patiently as if he had all the time in the world.

Another A/N: hi again. So, I hope you enjoyed reading. Something I want to mention is that, because I want my stories to be centered on Carter himself, there may be very few relationship fanfics. Now that doesn't mean I won't write them, it just means it won't be a part of my plot as often. I know many of you wanted Zia in the story but when I drafted the idea I decided that I wanted this one to be family oriented. I couldn't find a place for real Zia as of YET but I'll try in the future chapters (possibly at the end) ….no promises though. To make up for the lack of real Zia I put her in as a positive memory of Carter's I hope you don't mind. Again, I hope you enjoyed reading and please leave your comment as to what you thought. Thank you. Also, I have started school again so it may take longer to update but I will update at least once every weekend or every other weekend when I have time. I hope you understand.

-OceanHuntress


	7. chapter 7: Realizations

Chapter 7: Realizations

As Sadie and Amos looked at Carter they both felt relief, but the relief was short lived when they realized that they had no idea just how long they had been in the memory. On the other hand, Sadie was glad to see her brother again.

"Hey Carter," greeted Sadie

"Hey…so did you figure out what's wrong with me?" asked Carter

"Sorry Carter, but that memory wasn't close to the right one. It was your first real date with Zia." Answered Sadie

"But…I thought…so that means we get to go deeper into hi- my mind?" inquired Carter hesitantly.

"Yes, so I suggest we get going, we don't know how much time we have left." Stated Amos butting into the conversation.

"Okay." Said Carter as they once again began walking. Something Carter did though caught Amos' attention and really set his suspicions on edge. Amos knew that Sadie had missed it, but he was certain that Carter almost said his instead of my; causing Amos to wonder why Carter would've referred to himself in the third person. This lead to Amos once again beginning to think that maybe the Carter they were with wasn't THE Carter they were trying or needed to help. Amos kept his thoughts on the subject to himself, at least until he had more solid proof. Then and only then would Amos voice his concerns to his niece, as long as Carter was out of earshot, just in case of the possibility of making a bad situation worse. Amos was brought out of his thoughts by Sadie's' calling to him.

"Cle…Uncle Amos!" shouted Sadie from up ahead

"Wha…Oh! Yes Sadie?" asked Amos realizing that he hadn't been focused

"You've been standing there for a while now. Are you coming or what?" Sadie informed him curiously

"Ah…Yes, yes lets' go, sorry dear." Answered Amos

"It's ok…Carter was telling me that we shouldn't be too far away." Said Sadie

"Ok then, sounds like we should hurry, I do not know how long we've been here." Stated Amos

"Ok," replied Sadie turning around to walk with Carter again, while Amos began walking. Unbeknownst to the children in front of him; watching Carters' behavior in case something did happen.

They continued walking for a little while longer and realized that the doors were much closer than what they had been. Carter had told them that they were close, but refused to look at Amos, as if hiding something. Amos' suspicion was growing about as steady as their pace down the corridor. Finally, Amos and Sadie began to see a small speck of light similar to a street light on a foggy night when Carter stops in front of another door on the left side of the hall. It was narrower and was almost overlapping the doors next to it. Carter turned and it was then that Amos knew that this figure they had trusted was not Carter or at least the real Carter. How did he know this? It was finally given off by the slight change in eye color Amos saw for a brief half-second. Amos knew for a fact that it had gone unnoticed by Sadie, but he knew that when Carter turned away from Sadie to face the door his eyes darkened. Amos was sure that because of his heightened observations, it was the only way and reason he had noticed such a small change in this figure.

"Here we are, this time I'm sure," claimed not-Carter

"You're positive this time… right?" inquired Sadie looking from the door to her brother

"Yep… right through here," he said as he looked at Amos for the first time since after the last memory, but it was a look of slight disgust and anger that once again Sadie failed to notice as she moved towards the door, her hand reaching out to grab the handle.

"No…that's not the right door Sadie," stated Amos as he pulled Sadie away from the imposter.

"What are you talking about? It has to be if Carter says so," answered Sadie looking at her uncle as if he had lost his mind.

"That's not Carter," claimed Amos as he turned to face Sadie, watching "Carter" out of his peripheral vision.

"What?...Uncle I think you're overthinking this. It has to be Carter, he's here to help remember," replied Sadie

"Exactly, now if you could get going? That'd be great," butted in Carter with a dangerous edge to his voice as he listened to Amos' declaration.

Sadie glanced between the two not sure who to believe. She wanted her brother to be there helping, but she felt compelled to believe Amos. Sadie was broken out of her inner turmoil by her uncles next statement.

"Sadie, listen I know it's hard to believe, but that's not Carter; it can't be and you want to know why? I said nothing at first because I thought, what I know you're thinking right now. It has to be Carter, why would he deceive us, he needs our help right? Sadie, Carter wouldn't have made the mistake of wrong doors the first time, Carter wouldn't try to derail our task like that. Another thought, when has Carter ever seemed insistent or as irritated as he is now? I have never seen Carter act this way" stated Amos as Sadie looked troubled, from him to the imposter Carter, before continuing. "I know it's hard to see, but that is not Carter… at least it's not the real Carter. Sadie, you have to see and know that this is not really your brother." He finished, hoping that Sadie would believe him.

"Why are you saying those things uncle? I thought you cared for me? Please Sadie, don't believe him, he's done this before hasn't he? When we faced Set…he made us trust him, but then he was working with the god. Please…help me. I'm in pain Sadie, worse than you can imagine. You can make it stop…please, don't you want to save me?" questioned Carter feigning innocence and truth.

Painfully, it was then that Sadie realized the truth. This Carter wasn't her real brother. Her uncle was right Carter was never this pushy, insistent, or forgetful and it was his OWN mind. Sadie also knew that the real Carter would never stoop so low as to bring up past mistakes to use as a way of convincing her. She looked between "Carter" and Amos, before stepping closer to her uncle.

"I believe you uncle. And you are not my brother." Exclaimed Sadie while pointing at the fake.

It was then that they both saw a change in "Carter", his eyes became darker as did the peaceful aura around him. It changed from calm to fearful and insecure and it was then that Sadie and Amos got a look at what had really been leading them on for who knows how long. Right before them stood a taller form of carter, the only difference was that his Carter now seemed made out of shadows and darkness. He stared at Sadie with a look of pure hatred before speaking in a menacing tone.

"You will regret believing him, Sadie."

A/N: Hi everyone! Sorry it's taken longer than expected to update, but here it is and I hope you enjoyed reading. Please leave a review and let me know what you thought. Thank you!


	8. Chapter 8: Positive Battles

As Sadie and Amos looked upon the real form of their enemy they couldn't help but realize that his aura, while fearful and insecure, also gave off a feel of hopelessness. Amos saw the pure look of hatred directed at his niece and within the few seconds they'd been standing and staring, had pulled Sadie behind him ready for a fight. The only issue was the fact that Amos and Sadie were only astral projections and they didn't know if they could use what little magic they had without damaging Carter's mind. So they decided not to test the idea out and chose instead to stall until they could get past and make it to the end of his mind.

" what are you?!! " shouted Sadie at the

figure.

"Me? well...i'm many things..." replied the imposter with a smirk.

" What's that supposed to mean?" questioned Sadie, her anger and protective nature showing through her fear.

" I mean, i'm the negativity within Carters mind. Quite a lot of it too. I'm his nightmares, fears, insecurities, and...well you get the point." proudly stated the figure as if everyone already knew that. "All i have to do is spread a little doubt or fear... whatever you want to call it and I get a great...shall i say "feeding" of power.

"That's...that's cruel!" shouted Sadie, still trying to process all she was just told.

" I am aware, now...time to put an end to your little trip." admitted the figure moving towards Amos and Sadie, as the darkness and shadows began to reach out, almost as if they were trying to absorb both uncle and niece.

Amos and Sadie moved back quickly, but the Shadows kept advancing. Amos turned to Sadie; He had an idea as to how they could beat this imposter, but he only had hope that it might work, not actual proof that it was a good or bad idea.

"Sadie! There may be a way to beat him, but to do so we need to help Carter!" stated Amos

"What do you mean? that just made no sense. What do you think we've been trying to do!" exclaimed Sadie confused

" No...Sadie we have to help Carter...more specifically, his subconcious. That thing feeds off of fear and other negativity. If we can somehow get Carters' subconcious to be more positive, then that thing will have no strength to fight us." explained Amos

" How in the world are we going to be able to do that!!! Carters subconcious isn't exactly a manifestation right now or possibly even a real figure, BUT he is!" inquired Sadie looking toward the figure. Even though he seemed far away Sadie knew they were running out of time.

" just try to think of any positive memories you have about your brother and talk as if you were talking to him. Ignore the fake Sadie, and just try. It's trying to stall us, so don't give it your attention okay?" answered Amos

"Ok, but if this doesn't work...apart from me looking like i've lost it, then what?" asked Sadie

"Then we hope it does. It's all we've got." replied Amos

" Okay...um...Hey Carter? I...um...I don't know if you can hear me, but we could really use you help. We need you to fight Carter. This thing of negativity...it isn't you...you're stronger than it. Remember all the fights we've been through and survived? That was you, I know I don't say it a lot, but Carter you're strong, you're brave... You're smart and I know I make fun of you and I tease you, but it's because we're family Carter and really... I love you. You're my big brother and I can remember all the times when we were little when you helped me. Remember how you were there to comfort me after mom died, before you and dad had to leave? I do. Carter please...remember all the good you've done. You've been through a lot that most kids your age shouldn't have to, heck even things i haven't had to go though and you're still going. Please... I know you and I know you can beat this. Don't just do it for me or Amos, or Mom and Dad, do it for yourself... Beat your own demons and put them in their place... I know you can." pleaded Sadie, not paying attention to the imposter, though he was shouting curses and other things that should never be repeated, hoping that her brothers subconcious actually heard her.

Back in the real world hours had passed and Ruby watched over her son, while Julius dealt with the days judging of souls. That's when she noticed a slight change in Carter's Behavior. It looked as if he was in some type of serious REM because of how much his eyes were moving, though they were still closed. She could only hope that the development was something good and that her son would soon be back with them awake and moving, not as still as a dead person.

back in Carter's head, Sadie and Amos finally turned to see if anything was happening. They watched as the figure shrunk with the process of positivity being spread throughout the small Hall like area, seeming to light itself up from nowhere. They listened as the figure cursed at them and shouted lies and hopes of regaining power again.

" you'll never save him in time, the darkness of the curse has spread too far... Soon... Oh so soon... He'll be nothing but An Empty Souless Spirit... Soon... My power will be so much more... Soon... Soon!" shouted the figure as it finally dispersed and was no more, like a cloud of dust. His haunting words sent a chill through the spines of Sadie and Amos' body.

" What do you think he meant?" asked Sadie slowly coming out of shock as to what had just occured.

"I do not know, but we have to hurry Sadie, we don't have much time." replied Amos realizing that the current task still needed to be completed.

"Okay." said Sadie as she and Amos began to run down the hall, not wanting to waste any more time than they already had. They only hope to that they weren't too late like the figure had said.

I AM SO SORRRRRRY that this has taken so long. I've been really busy with school and chior concerts so i havent had time to type this up and post. BUT i do want to let you all know that im almost done with chapter 9 which means I should be able to type it up and post it sooner that I have with the others. again I am so sorry that this took so long I hope you enjoy reading it and let me know what you think in the comments. thank you*


	9. Chapter 9: Guided to the Exit

Sadie and Amos- regular script

Ethan- _Italicized_

As Sadie and Amos made it to the end of the hall, they found one last issue… there were two doors on each side, but which one was the one they needed?

"Great. Now what do we do?" Asked Sadie, stomping her foot out of frustration and worry.

"This is a bit of a challenge isn't it? I would suggest splitting up and have each one of us take a door, but I'm afraid of what may happen. It seems there are too many unknowns. Looking at the two different memories at once. We have to choose one though." Lectured Amos.

"What if we choose the wrong one?" Inquired Sadie, looking at her uncle.

"I don't think it would bid well for Carter if we did and failed." Replied Amos, sighing as he ran a hand across his hair and neck.

"Well we hav- "Sadie paused.

" _Take the door to your right sweetheart_." Spoke an unseen figure.

"Did you hear that?!" Yelped Sadie.

"Hear what?" Asked Amos confused at the sudden change in Sadie.

"The voice…it…it?" Answered Sadie confused as to who or what she heard.

"Sadie no one, not even that evil is here to- "Amos drifted off as he caught a flickering movement out of the corner of his eye. "Sadie come here and stay close." Ordered Amos not feeling unease but still protective.

" _Take the door to your right Sadie, it holds the cure and truth_ " Spoke the figureless voice again.

"Uncle Amos…it wants us to take the door to the right." Said Sadie wary of the voice.

"How would it know which door to take?" Questions Amos as the flickering form of something appeared before him. It gave Amos a sense of familiarity but did nothing to relieve his nerves.

"I don't know" was Sadie's reply as she watched her uncle's eyes widen larger than should be possible and his jaw practically hit the ground. "What? Uncle Amos what is it?" Asked Sadie only to be ignored.

Unknown to Sadie the flickering figure in front of Amos had finally been able to take shape, though it was weak. The person who stood before Amos was the last person he though he would ever see again… his father. Amos was unable to understand how it was possible for a long dead man, he had looked up to as a child, was able to be in the mind of his nephew, who had never even seen him once before. Finally, Amos snapped out of it and turned to Sadie. He couldn't understand so many things, 'How was his father here? How could he see him, but Sadie couldn't? It hit him his father wasn't an illusion like the imposter Carter before, but he also wasn't powerful enough to take whole form. He was split, Sadie heard while Amos saw.

"Sadie…what does the voice sound like?" Inquired Amos watching his father out of his peripheral vision.

"What…why?"

"Please Sadie it may help." Asked a desperate Amos, shocking Sadie.

"Umm… well it sounds like a man. The voice is calm but honestly sounds like he swallowed too much saltwater and dried his throat out. Why?" Questioned Sadie.

"Just a minute I have an idea that may help the both of us understand." Was Amos' only reply before he closed his eyes in concentration.

Amos had focused as much energy as he could into connecting his and Sadie's own connection to his father. It was tiring but he was able to form a small window of opportunity. "Sadie hold my hand, okay? It'll help the connection to the voice." Said Amos to his niece who stood there confused before grabbing hold of uncle's hand.

A sense of calmness came over Sadie and she closed her eyes to take it in but when she opened them again she realized that her uncle and her were no longer alone in the hall. There was a flickering form of an old man near the exit, smiling sweetly at them.

" _Hello. You don't know me but your uncle does_." Said the man.

"Who are you?" asks Sadie curiously.

" _My name is Ethan Kane, I'm your grandfather…on your father's side of course."_ Replied her grandfather as Sadie looked between Amos and Ethan unsure of how to proceed but was saved by her uncle as he spoke up.

"Three things first before we run out of time. One, how are we so sure you're not some fake?' Asked Amos.

" _Smart Amos, always be aware… but alright ask me anything and I'll answer._ " Replied his father.

"Very well…" Amos thought of something that not even Carter would know to prove it wasn't another part of his subconscious. "When me and Julius were nine, we all went hiking but I came home with a scar. Where is it and how did I get it?" Questioned Amos.

 _"You have a scar along your upper right shoulder down your left hip because you tried to go exploring without your brother or I and ended up slipping down on a jagged piece of rock about a mile away from where we set up camp. Nasty cut too, had to cut the trip short and take you to the hospital. We were stuck there for two days to make sure it didn't get infected."_

Amos was stunned, it really was his father, only his dad could have known because his mother and brother were left at a small motel during the hospital stay. Amos never told anyone how he had gotten it and even his brother forgot after a while.

"Uncle Amos?" Called Sadie hesitantly

"It's okay Sadie, he's telling the truth," Replied Amos

"Ok, but we're running out of time."

" _Yes, Amos you both must hurry. You have been here too long and I grow weak. You wonder how I am here…yes?" Spoke Ethan. Amos could only nod. "I myself do not know how; besides Carters magic. You wish to know how I am aware of which door is the correct one? I have been with Carter since he was born and I know enough about a magical mind to be able to distinguish memories old and new. You must trust me son, take the door on the right. Find the cure and save the boy. I haveno time left, so I must go now. I wish you well and our love to you all." Elaborated the eldest Kane as he faded from the existence of Carters mind._

"That was odd." Said Sadie coming out of her confusion and shock quickly.

Amos was not as easily brought back to reality. He was in shock, but sadly he did not have the time to be. They needed to help Carter.

"Uncle Amos we have to go. Come on." Stated Sadie

"yes, let's get this over with, your grandfather was right we have been here too long." Answered Amos, shaking off his weariness from using so much energy for such a small task.

"Are you okay? You look tired." Noticed Sadie

"I will be fine, nothing that getting out of here won't fix."

Sadie grabbed her uncles hand once more aa they walked over and stood before the door. Amos reached out and grasped the handle, with one final look at Sadie he turned it and pulled the door open. It was within those two seconds that everything once again became brighter, washing away their surroundings. Once the light had faded, both magicians opened their eyes to see where they were. They were surprised to find that they had ended up…..

 **To be Continued**

 **A/N:** _H_ i everyone I am so sorry that this has taken so long when I previously said it would be up sooner. Things have been hectic recently because right now I am in the process of applying to college and getting all of that settled. This time I can't promise when the next chapter will be up, but please know that I am not giving up on this story; I just need some more time. **Please leave a review of what you thought. ANNNNND for those of you asking where Zia is she will be in the next chapter or so, I just wanted this story to focus on Carter and not just his relationship with her. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING. Hope you enjoyed it**


	10. Chapter 10: Exit with the Truth

Sadie grabbed her uncles hand once more as they walked over and stood before the door. Amos reached out and grasped the handle, with one final look at Sadie he turned it and pulled the door open. It was within those two seconds that everything once again became brighter, washing away their surroundings. Once the light had faded, both magicians opened their eyes to see where they were. They were surprised to find that they had ended up…. Back home?

Sadie looked at Amos and tried to figure out what the heck had just happened. Had they really just gone from her brother's head all the way back home out of the exit, rather than the memory they needed? Or were they still within his mind? She was highly confused and now slightly disoriented.

"What the heck? Are we really back home or what?" asked Sadie

"I don't think so Sadie"

"Why not?"

"Because if we were Carter would still be ill and we'd have ended up back in the Duat where we left. Not here." Explained Amos, pointing over towards where the kitchen would be, looking at a wide awake and healthy Carter.

"Oh…" replies Sadie sounding disheartened that her brother still wasn't well

"Let's just follow and see how this memory plays out. You need to remember Sadie were in this memory for a reason and once were home we will save Carter. Ok?"

"Yeah, let's do this"

They began to watch and follow memory Carter as he went through his morning. Carter had made his breakfast and put on running shoes, when Sadie finally noticed the time on the stove. To say the least she was shocked at how early it was.

"Uncle Amos, it's not normal for someone to wake up and go for a run at 4:41 in the morning, is it? I mean this is Carter were talking about, the only time I ever saw him run we were being chased by monsters and stuff."

"Well, some people like to wake up early for a run. Sometimes its to stay in shape, sometimes people just like early morning runs, and some people may even be training for marathons and other athletics. I can't say I know why Carter would run this early, but maybe he'd rather run before anyone else at the Nome wakes up?"

"Huh, I'll ask him later because this seems like something important he should've told one of us in case of an emergency, I mean really a 5:00 A.M run can't always be safe. I didn't even know he was leaving the Nome." Huffed Sadie

"Sadie, to do that we need to get out of here and help Carter, so let's keep following because it seems that Carter is ready to leave." Stated Amos as he gestured to Carter; walking out of the door while grabbing his jacket and a water bottle.

They followed Carter out of the Nome and down the street. He wasn't running yet, but what they were more concerned about was the fact that they had no idea where exactly they were all going. They kept walking and in what felt like seconds, they had crossed a street that bordered a large park. Amos was the one to realize where they were first…Highland Park; that's when Carter started to pick up his pace, and Sadie and Amos were left to pick up their speed to keep up.

"Why would Carter come all the way over to this park, when he could just run around the neighborhood for a bit?" questioned Sadie as she jogged alongside her uncle, taking a deep breath.

"I don't know dear…but this must be... where whatever made him ill…occurred." Huffed out Amos as they began running at a faster pace.

"How can…you be so sure"

"The time. The initiates… and Bast were meeting with us… around seven and…. Carter fell ill shortly after that? If he… was out and running…. from 5:00 to 6:30….and was home…by 7:00, then…. whatever…. whatever is causing this…. predicament… had to… to have occurred while… he was here." Panted Amos as he tried to explain, while running for what was starting to feel like eternity to him.

"Ok… well…. I never thought that… I'd be running… unless being chased… or for P.E." commented Sadie sarcastically, in an attempt to keep herself from dwelling on the uneasy feeling of being so close to the true cause of her brother's deathly state.

All she got in reply was a small breathy laugh from her uncle as they came to a stop and caught their breath. Neither wanting to admit that they aren't great runners, because that would just be embarrassing for the both of them.

"why'd we stop?"

"I think your brother also needs a break." Claimed Amos watching as Carter was hunched over catching his own breath for a minute.

They watched as Carter pulled his jacket off and took a long drink of water. Carter was about to start running again, when everything went downhill. As Carter stood a man in his late twenties, early thirties bumped into him and fell over as if he had run into a wall.

"That's weird…Carters shorter and scrawnier than that grown man…uncle Amos that guy couldn't have been knocked over because of Carter, right?" asked Sadie confused as to how a large man could be knocked over by her brother

"I don't think Carter caused his fall, which worries me, sadly there's nothing we can do about these events now. After all this is only a memory."

Sadie seemed irritated by that answer, but kept her mouth shut because that had been her uncles' response to everything involving events in Carters memories and it was the truth. She and Amos watched as Carter, being the kind dork that he is, help the man up. As Carter helped the man up though, Sadie and Amos saw something that made their blood boil with rage. The man had injected something almost unnoticeable into Carter's upper arm as he helped himself regain his "balance".

"That son of a—"

"Sadie, language" Amos reprimanded as he cut off her sentence

"I don't care that… that thing just injected something into my brother. How are you not angry?!" yelled Sadie as she watched her brother talk to the stranger out of her peripheral

"I am Sadie, but as I have said many times before, this is a memory. There is nothing we can do to change it; but if we follow that man we may find out exactly what he did to Carter; and we can cure him, then get justice once were out of his head." Amos spoke calm, but firmly.

"Okay, but wait… how do we leave the memory if were not following Carter?" inquired Sadie

"I'm not sure, but it may be possible that we can leave the memory when it ends; even if we don't follow Carter. The one thing I am not too sure about though is if we can learn anything from the man. These are Carter's memories and if he didn't follow this man how can we learn the truth? I know this is not a time to bring up what if's and negative outcomes, but I just wonder." Elaborated Amos

"No… it's okay to bring them up, but I'm just going on the fact that logic, doesn't apply to this family we're magicians and have survived a giant snake trying to eat the sun. A little memory weirdness can't be any worse than that." Said Sadie confidently "Now, let's keep going and find out what he did and get my brother the cure"

"time to go" announced Amos as the man finally left Carter as if nothing had happened

As Sadie and Amos began to walk after the stranger, Sadie took one last look at her brother, promising herself that she'd see him up and running again no matter what it took.

The man they followed led them to a small beat up truck, that in Sadie's opinion was an ugly rotten orange color and needed to be left in a junkyard. Amos and Sadie climbed into the bed of the truck and settled in for the drive. It felt like hours, but they had learned to ignore the feel of time, because it flowed differently than out in the real world; and they soon found that they had arrived at a diner and followed the man inside. They listened as the man "exchanged information" with his boss, increasing their anger towards these people. They watched on as the two shook hands and the man that they had followed stood up getting ready to leave, when they saw the older man pull a knife and stab him in the back. They were shocked as the man exploded into dust and they had a sudden feeling of fear that seemed to wash over them in waves before suddenly disappearing like it had been a trick of their minds instead.

Finally, they were able to get a grip of their shock and decided to follow the new stranger back out to the now dead "things" truck.

"Seriously…. how many people are responsible for this!" shouted Sadie as they started down the road again out of anger and frustration, while her uncle sat in there pondering the new change of events

They then followed the newest out of the truck, once it stopped and into a warehouse they had pulled up to. The warehouse was run down on the outside and looked more like a condemned barn, but Sadie and Amos could care less about appearances. What was inside though terrified the both of them and set them on edge just from the close proximity.

Lining the walls were thousands of large snakes in glass cages. They followed the man to the back, keeping cautious eyes on the reptiles until they were in what seemed similar to a small living area. The fear they felt though increased greatly at the sight of giant mutant sized snakes held in cages that could hold an elephant, all piled on top of one another with enough room to move. They reminded Sadie and Amos of the gods enemy Apophis, just ironically smaller, but no less deadly. Amos quickly took his attention off the snakes as he heard someone starting a conversation and realized that the man they had followed was on the phone and seemed rather pleased with himself. Amos could only guess that the person or thing on the other end was an accomplice to this man that Amos has now promised himself, his nephew, and his family he would find and punish as seen fit. What made them sick though was how the man answered the phone saying that he had "good news".

"Don't worry by the time that anyone realizes anything's wrong, it'll be too late." Assured the man.

Sadie and Amos couldn't tell who he was talking to, but they heard a muffled response. The both of them watched as the mans' face contorted into a scowl and he replied to the person on the other end of the line.

"Trust me sir. That toxin is the worst thing I've ever concocted in all my years working with these snakes. I know for a fact that unless they have my notes, WHICH they don't, they can't cure him. I have created a venom so close to our lords that they can't even imagine what it's doing to his body. Sir…."

"…"

"Trust me sir, I used the venom from four of deadliest and most enhanced snakes that you sent me. I have bred more snake combinations than you can even think of, and they are getting larger and larger. Soon, as long as you continue to send me what I need I will be able to breed and cause the greatest rebirth the world will ever see…"

"…"

"Sir it'll only take seven days at most for the Kane boy to die…"

"…"

"Yes, I know you want him dead now sir, but he isn't just a mortal. He is a magician that has hosted a god, the god of war at that. His body has changed and been stronger after his adventure of playing hero, so his body is slightly able to try and fight the toxins in his blood…"

"…"

"I assure you sir he will be dead by the suns rise Monday morning."

"…"

"Yes sir, I understand… I look forward to our future business together. Soon sir you'll be known as the creator of destruction and there is nothing these magicians or their worthless gods can do. Apophis will be reborn at your hands. Until further contact, have a good trip sir."

Sadie was crying and wanting to hurt the man in front of her for the pain he'd put her brother through. Even Amos could not hide his tears and look of hatred directed at this vile excuse of a person that adorned his face. What made it worse was the fact that these people were trying to bring Apophis back and Carter was just an inconvenience to them.

"Uncle Amos…" Sadie called quietly choking down a sob

"We will save him Sadie." Answered Amos knowing what his niece wanted to ask. "It will be tough, and you know we're limited with time, but we will cure him."

"I really hope so—" Sadie was cut off when the room rippled. She looked around and saw that everything was fading, but getting brighter at the same time, when she heard Amos calling out for her breaking her thoughts.

"Sadie! Come here, the memory is ending…"

Amos and Sadie were given one last look, before being blinded once again and freed from Carters' mind.

Sadie and Amos gasped as they came to and sat up a bit too quickly after feeling like they had been thrown to ground, startling Julius and Ruby, who were on them in second helping them up and into more comfortable chairs.

"So, did you find the cause for Carter's illness?" inquired Ruby Anxiously, checking her daughter for any injuries, relieved to find none.

"Yes, but it's serious…" replies Sadie as silent tears continue to make their way down her face.

"We need help…LOTS of help if we want to save him Julius" stated Amos darkly. "We have two days at most or…"

"Or what Amos?" pushed Julius wanting answers

"Or he dies…"

The gasp that came from the distraught parents was quiet, but to Amos, he was sure that it could be heard among the dead of the Duat for miles.

"Sadie is right though to cure Carter we need a lot of help. If we don't then Carter has no chance" explained Amos

"I don't understand, a cure for what?" asked Julius

Amos took a deep breath and looked at Sadie who looked more determined than anything now, before turning back to his brother.

"A venom that is dangerously close to that of Apophis'…"

"How is that possible Apophis is gone?"

"Yeah, he's gone, but Julius there is someone out there trying to…recreate or rebirth Apophis, they have multiple enhanced serpents and they are still breeding them in hopes of achieving this goal of theirs." explained Amos

"That's not good, if the venom is similar to Apophis then we're going to need to get the gods in on this. Horus and Isis are going to want to know about this especially. I'll go get them, as well as Thoth, he'll have the most understanding of what we should do. Amos try to get any of the initiates that Carter knows, at least as many as you can that are able to help."

It was then that the reality of the situation really sank in and hit Sadie and Amos harder than it had earlier. So much so that they hadn't wanted to stand up, but they needed to because they both had made a promise to save Carter.

"I'll get Bast, Zia, Walt, and Jaz… the others are all to young to help deal with this and don't need to be involved." Said Amos as he forced himself to stand

"Agreed. I'll head up and get any of the gods/ goddesses that I can, that are willing to help." Replied Julius

"Sadie and I will stay here with Carter until we know what we need." Chimed in Ruby, looking over to Sadie, who was running her hand through her brothers' short hair.

"Ok it's settled then. We are saving Carter, and no one will stand in this Nome's way." Declared Amos

When Amos and Julius left, Ruby turned to look at her daughter once more before joining her on Carter's other side to wait for the others.

"Hang on for us Baby, we're going to make this all right again" Ruby spoke softly, while Sadie continuously ran her hand through Carter's hair. Sadie looked up at her mother, "When everyone gets here, get ready cause we have work to do, okay dear?"

All Sadie could do was nod and resume watching her brother.

A/N: Hi everyone I'm sorry this has taken longer than I said it would again. I have been busy these past few months and I am now proud to say that I have graduated and will be starting college soon! I have started writing the next chapter, but I don't know when it will be up, but I am NOT leaving this story unfinished. Hope you all enjoyed reading, and feel free to let me know what you thought thanks!


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